An Act of Detection

An Act of Detection (2019) Charlie Cochrane (An Alasdair and Toby Investigation #1)

Set in London in 1950

Alasdair and Toby enjoying being actors–even if their biggest act is hiding from everyone their love for each other.

(S)ome glorious day they’d be able to travel together to an opening night or another equally swanky ‘do’—travel together to anything other than a rugby international or with a ‘chaperone’ of sorts in tow. Or maybe things would never get better and they’d be wearing masks all their lives, always playing a part for the public as they played a part on the screen.

Their newest released film has them playing the most famous detective and his partner and it’s always a worry how fans will react.

“What I want to know is what the purists are going to make of it.” Toby picked up his copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. “And will Sir Arthur Conan Doyle be turning in his grave afterwards?”

But it turns out they end up investigating a mystery of their own–what happened to Johnny Fisher’s secretary.

“Some delicate operation that went wrong?” They’d got away with “bloody”, but you couldn’t dare say ‘illegal abortion’ in Langan’s.

I do love historical queer mysteries. My big wish for this one is that she’d not tried to have a sex scene.

I mean, the word “mounting” is used and I just can’t even with that.

Characters: Toby Bowe, Alasdair Hamilton, Fiona Marsden, North, Morgan, Johnny Fisher, Hampson, Robin Pierce, Mrs. Chivers, Paddick, Charlotte Paddick, Clarice Pierce, Freddie McDermott, Millie Stamford, Flight Officer Mitcham, Sir Ian Sheringham, George Howell, Alexander Rattigan, George Howell, Geraldine Wilson, Phyllis Davis, Whitlock, Inspector Mayfield, Nigel Weatherly, Mr. O’Connor, Sally Chambers, Cuffy Temple, Matthew Firestone, Edith Daley, Phyllis Davis, Robert Temple, Ronnie Wade, Alice Keyworth, Miss Crouch

Publisher: Williams & Whiting

Rating: 7.5/10

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